I have had more activity through Fulbright this year than I had expected. I thought I'd take my year and that would be it. But within the five months of my return, I was flown to Denver to help guide incoming Fulbright exchange teachers from Europe (described here), I chaired an interview process for teachers wanting to exchange next year, and I received a grant, just over $4000, to bring three Hungarians from last year's school to Seattle.
Below you can see pictures of three fourths of our interview committee for teachers seeking a Fulbright. We're in my livingroom. The computer on the chair represents the person interviewing, who we either saw through Skype or phoned through the computer because, I don't know what you'll think of this, but Stephanie and I haven't bothered hooking up long distance service since we're returned to the U.S., and neither do we have a cell phone.
One of my greatest reasons to accept the responsibilities of the committee was the possibility of being able to fly up a friend in Arizona, Emily, who perhaps you've seen in many other pictures in this blog, because she was living in Budapest last year. Below are pictures of Arizona Emily and Seattle Emily, who was also on a Fulbright last year, in the Czech Republic.
Once I started telling Roosevelt students about the possibility, however, and once I started getting applications from DVK students and teachers, this became much bigger than me.
Candidates put a tremendous amount of care and heart into their applications. Because costs are prohibitive, many students don't travel; and for this reason, the European Union has several programs that have helped fund various kinds of class trips around Europe. Even then, some of the students applying wrote that the only big city they've ever seen is Budapest. Students wrote of the cooking, dancing, singing and cultural and historical lessons they could bring, and much more. Above all, their eagerness was palpable.
Roosevelt students, meanwhile, infused their own excitement into the process. They loved reading the applications, and over and over again, they said, I think this one should come, listen to this. Many Roosevelt gladly volunteered to host for two weeks also, and now that I have started telling parents that their kids have volunteered that they would house and feed and entertain a strange Hungarian for half a month, I have discovered that the parents are excited as well.
My mentor last year, who was so generous and hard-working and kind, is coming in the beginning of April. She is accompanying Nándor -- a student I had in last year's 11th grade English class and one of the brightest kids in the school -- and Detti -- whom I substitute taught once but knew in part through her mother, in my adult English class.
Detti has started a blog about the upcoming trip.
It includes this video:
Below you can see pictures of three fourths of our interview committee for teachers seeking a Fulbright. We're in my livingroom. The computer on the chair represents the person interviewing, who we either saw through Skype or phoned through the computer because, I don't know what you'll think of this, but Stephanie and I haven't bothered hooking up long distance service since we're returned to the U.S., and neither do we have a cell phone.
One of my greatest reasons to accept the responsibilities of the committee was the possibility of being able to fly up a friend in Arizona, Emily, who perhaps you've seen in many other pictures in this blog, because she was living in Budapest last year. Below are pictures of Arizona Emily and Seattle Emily, who was also on a Fulbright last year, in the Czech Republic.
As for the latest Fulbright activity, it started out as a request for a grant from Fulbright so that I could, as I'd done with Emily, bring back a missed friend for a visit. The simple idea was for two weeks: one teacher and one student from Dráva Völgye Középiskola would come to Roosevelt. The teacher would stay at my house (the friend: several people I excitedly imagined coming!) and the student would stay with a Roosevelt kid. The U.S. State department accepted my proposal but said I should adjust my participants and budget upwards, which I gladly did.
Once I started telling Roosevelt students about the possibility, however, and once I started getting applications from DVK students and teachers, this became much bigger than me.
Candidates put a tremendous amount of care and heart into their applications. Because costs are prohibitive, many students don't travel; and for this reason, the European Union has several programs that have helped fund various kinds of class trips around Europe. Even then, some of the students applying wrote that the only big city they've ever seen is Budapest. Students wrote of the cooking, dancing, singing and cultural and historical lessons they could bring, and much more. Above all, their eagerness was palpable.
Roosevelt students, meanwhile, infused their own excitement into the process. They loved reading the applications, and over and over again, they said, I think this one should come, listen to this. Many Roosevelt gladly volunteered to host for two weeks also, and now that I have started telling parents that their kids have volunteered that they would house and feed and entertain a strange Hungarian for half a month, I have discovered that the parents are excited as well.
My mentor last year, who was so generous and hard-working and kind, is coming in the beginning of April. She is accompanying Nándor -- a student I had in last year's 11th grade English class and one of the brightest kids in the school -- and Detti -- whom I substitute taught once but knew in part through her mother, in my adult English class.
Detti has started a blog about the upcoming trip.
It includes this video:
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